A/N: Hey, guys! I'm back with an extra long chapter full of lots of little goodies for you all now that my health is (mostly) back in order! Hooray! I really, truly appreciate everyone who has reviewed! You guys are the best, and you're helping to keep my motivation up more than you know!

Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel nor any characters herein. This story is written for purely entertainment purposes.

xXxXxXx

Jane hadn't left her room since she'd stormed out on Loki that morning. She couldn't bear the idea of running into him, and she was brought back to tears every time she thought about him or their conversation. She was growing tired of hiding, though, and crying about what had been said wasn't making her feel better, just more pathetic.

Why? Why did he have to be so cruel? She ground her teeth as she made her way to her door, mind reeling with frustration and determination. It didn't matter, regardless. As far as she was concerned, the man had no feelings of his own, so he had no right to project his thoughts onto her.

God of Lies and Trickery definitely seemed to suit him.

With the castle abuzz with workers and courtiers, Jane made her way out of her bedchambers, convinced that a certain dark-haired man would be less inclined to be out and about with so many people wandering the halls.

xXxXxXx

"The white flowers were a good choice," Sif stated, watching as a servant carried a bouquet of white flowers (which Jane decided looked suspiciously like carnations) off to a table before clearing off the rejected colors. The dark-haired warrior turned back to Jane, offering her a light smile. "I appreciate your help, Jane. It's quite a relief to have another woman to go over this stuff with."

Jane smiled back at her, doing her best to make it look unstrained. She shrugged a bit. "I'm happy to help. I'm sure the Warriors' Three would have good opinions on things, too, just . . . probably not for weddings."

Sif smirked. "Volstagg wants to help with planning the wedding feast; Hogun will be making sure Thor continues to train during all of this, while Fandral will be busy choosing Thor's clothing and his own. That is about the extent of my willingness to let them help—and I still have servants watching over them just to be safe."

Jane chuckled. "Well, then, in that case, thank you for having so much faith in me, considering I don't have servants following me around all the time."

Sif nodded to her as she placed a few fabrics down on the table next to her. "Of course. It's really sweet of you to help out so much. I wish there were more I could do to show my appreciation, especially considering you're staying so far away from home and Thor and I remain so busy with preparations. I certainly hope you don't grow too restless while there is down time."

"Oh, no, not at all," Jane waved her off, trying to appear nonchalant. "I've been exploring the library and staring out at the beautiful scenery around the castle."

Sif's brow furrowed at the mention of the library. "You haven't encountered any . . . problems, have you?"

Jane had a feeling she knew exactly what Sif was asking, and although she was half-tempted to fill her in on the morning's kitchen expedition, she thought better of it. "No, nothing in particular, just . . . Well, I do have one question."

"And what's that?" Sif asked, giving Jane her full attention. The latter was reminded of how striking the warrior was, and quickly shoved the thought aside. Now was not the time to be entertaining jealous thoughts.

"Well, I've been noticing a lot of gossip being spread around the kingdom," Jane started, not sure why she was even bothering to bring this up after everything that had happened. Still, it was too late to go back now, and she was curious. "I was just wondering what is typically done about something like that."

"It depends," Sif frowned. "Are they speaking of you?"

"Well, no," Jane sighed. "Actually, they've been talking about Loki."

"Oh," Sif muttered awkwardly, nodding. She was silent for a long moment, before looking Jane in the eyes. "If Loki has heard of this, he will take care of it. He is still a prince of Asgard, even if he is under restriction, and movements against him are still considered crimes. There isn't anything we can do, unless you happened to get the names of those who were speaking of him. Did you?"

Jane shook her head. "No, I didn't. I just know that they were women."

Sif nodded to her. "You needn't worry, Jane. As I said, if Loki knows about this and is bothered by it, he will make sure something is done so it's resolved. He's never been good about taking the criticisms of others, and he's always been the first to put people in their place."

"Even without his magic?"

"He may resort to having the guards arrest the offenders. Whatever it takes to satisfy him—he doesn't care."

Jane nodded, mulling the information over. If Loki had the ability to have people arrested for speaking against him, why didn't he? It just didn't seem like him to let something like that slide, and Sif's point only furthered Jane's suspicions on the matter. She sighed softly to herself, knowing that most of her assumptions were just that—assumptions. She was aware that she didn't know Loki nearly well enough to judge how he would behave in certain situations. This morning had proven that much.

"Well, I think that is more than enough wedding preparation for today," Sif said decisively, pulling Jane out of her thoughts. "How about we go horseback riding as a sign of my appreciation? I know of a few horses that could use a stretch, and I imagine a change of scenery would do us all some good."

Jane smiled at the suggestion. She'd get to go outside of the castle? "That sounds wonderful."

Sif returned the smile kindly. "Let us go, then."

xXxXxXx

Jane smiled unsteadily at Fandral, gripping the reins as though they were her only life-line in existence. The blonde chuckled, guiding his stallion a little closer to Jane's mare. "You needn't worry, milady. This darling here is one of our tamest horses. She wouldn't throw you off for anything."

"Thanks," Jane replied, hoping she sounded sincere. In reality, she was moderately terrified to be this high up off of the ground on a creature she had no idea how to control should it decide to run. "I'm just not used to riding horses, honestly."

"We will have to fix that before you leave!" Thor laughed, glancing back at them from his position. "By the time you get ready to leave, you will be a master equestrian!"

Jane laughed, doing her best to shake off the awkwardness she was feeling. When she'd agreed to this, she'd hoped it would just be her and Sif. In retrospect, she should have known better. At least it wasn't just her, Sif, and Thor—Fandral had agreed to tag along as well, claiming his stallion could use a good ride. They were all out wandering a small forest near the castle, and although the scenery was breathtaking, part of Jane wished she was back in her room.

They trekked on for a while, chatting about random things, and every once in a while one of the warriors would answer a question when Jane got curious about something. By the time they returned to the castle, Jane's rear was saddle-sore, and she was looking forward to curling up on her bed for a while, but a detour would be in order before that was possible.

"Will you be attending the feast this evening, Jane?" Thor asked, handing off his reins to one of the stable-boys. Jane glanced at him in surprise, but quickly masked it by nodding. "Yes, of course."

"Excellent!" he beamed, genuine happiness lighting up his bright features and causing yet another ache in Jane's chest. He grabbed Sif's hand as he turned. "We look forward to seeing you this evening, then!"

Jane watched them as they began to walk away, knowing deep down that Thor probably had no idea just what watching him and Sif was doing to her. She was glad Fandral had already gone off to do his own thing, because she wasn't sure she could deal with any questioning right now. She began to make her way into the castle, steeling her resolve and refusing to allow the happy couple to sour her demeanor any further.

xXxXxXx

Loki closed the door to the library behind himself once he was inside, giving the interior of the room a quick onceover and determining that he was alone. He refused to acknowledge that he might actually be a little disheartened as he gathered a few books and took a seat in his chair. He'd spent most of his day reading in his bedchambers, waiting until there was very little noise echoing throughout the halls before venturing here. The feast was due any moment now, so most everyone would be occupied with that instead of wandering about.

He wondered how Jane had spent most of her day. He'd glanced out his window earlier in the afternoon and had spotted her horseback riding with Thor and his posse. He'd dared to admit that he was disappointed in her—she was still in denial, even after all he'd said. Not that he should be surprised, he figured, as it had only been a matter of hours since he'd forced the revelation into her head, even if she wouldn't accept it yet. He huffed at the thought, glancing at the bookcase next to him, only to pause, staring at it.

Two of the books he'd suggested to Jane were missing.

He scowled. So, she was avoiding him now, was she? For some reason, that didn't sit very well with the raven-haired man. He sat in contemplation for a long moment, then set his book aside, a look of determination settling on his face as he stood.

"Very well, then. Challenge accepted."

xXxXxXx

Jane, being a personal guest of Thor and Sif, was always seated close to the prince—two seats away from him, to be more precise. The seat on his immediate left was occupied by Sif, while the seat to his immediate right had remained empty for every feast Jane had attended, kept this way in the hopes that Loki might actually show up. Jane was seated to the right of that particular chair, and for once wasn't concerned with the fact that it was vacant. She was, however, thankful that Odin wasn't present—it always seemed to help improve her mood when that happened.

Well, that and the mead she was slowly consuming. It was much stronger than the alcohol on Earth, so she wasn't able to slam it back like Fandral and Volstagg were doing, although she doubted she would even if she were capable. She took another sip, feeling the comfortable warmth settle in her stomach as she began to eat, listening to the conversations going on around her.

"—And I will never understand how he pulls it off! Still, I will always cherish Volstagg's ability to negotiate food for our lives in perilous situations!"

"Ha! Your mind is ill-informed if that is how you recall that endeavor!" Volstagg roared, laughing. Thor grinned at them both.

"Do not jest, Volstagg! You know well enough that that's exactly how i—ah."

Jane glanced up at Thor as the man suddenly faltered. He was staring towards the door now, a look of pure shock spread across his features. Brow furrowed, Jane's eyes sought out the source of his surprise, nearly choking on her food as she located it.

Standing in the doorway to the dining hall was Loki, his piercing gaze sweeping the room predatorily until his eyes landed on Jane. She couldn't name what she saw in them, but it made her nervous. She glanced back down at her plate, willing her heart to slow down. What was Loki doing here of all places? She briefly noted that the clothing he was wearing was far less casual than what she'd seen on him in the library, or even in the kitchen. Somehow that almost unsettled her more than his stare.

"Are you not pleased to see me?" the dark-haired man drawled, and Jane suddenly wasn't sure if it was aimed at her or not. She was spared from answering as Thor immediately stood up, dragging out the chair next to him.

"Do not utter such nonsense, brother! You are always welcome here," he stated, motioning for the man to come over to him. "Please, join us. Someone get my brother a drink!"

Loki made an unimpressed grunt-like noise, watching as a servant scrambled to go gather more mead. He made his way towards the table, and Jane winced in realization. Damn it!

The second prince took his seat at the table next to Jane, grabbing the now-full goblet and taking a rather large swig. Jane attempted to discreetly slide her chair over some while he was occupied, but found the task impossible. She glanced down at the floor, scowling as she spotted the toe of Loki's boot wrapped around the chair's leg, hindering her ability to move it. She shot him a dirty look while Thor was distracted with settling back into his own seat. Loki merely quirked a brow at her in return before picking out some food for himself.

The atmosphere in the room was much more cautious now, and Jane found it to be stifling. Loki was still scanning the room, but his expression remained unreadable.

"I'm glad that you finally decided to join us, brother! Let us toast," Thor stated definitively, raising his goblet. Jane wondered if the man was blind, or if he was just trying to help lighten the mood. The nearly excited tone in his voice made her heart hurt for him in a strange way, and she had a feeling that Loki had no idea just how much his arrival here meant to the older prince. He was practically vibrating with elation. Everyone raised their glasses as Thor toasted to "reunited family". Jane drank from hers, glancing at Loki out of the corner of her eye, realizing that he was only pretending to drink now. She reached over and kicked him in the leg as hard as possible without being noticeable, deciding that if he was going to be difficult, then damn it, so was she! The man jerked at the sudden motion, accidentally tipping his cup further in the process and drinking some of the mead, resulting in him coughing as some of it went into his windpipe. He shot Jane a dirty glare through the coughing, trying to regain some of his composure and finding it more difficult than he wanted to admit.

Jane quickly spun her focus away from him and settled it instead on Fandral, who was seated across from her. The blonde warrior was laughing at Loki's sputtering, but was quickly drowned out as Thor's own laughter burst forth from the head of the table.

"Has it been so long since you've had good mead that it stopped in your throat, brother?" Thor grinned, clapping Loki on the shoulder. The latter stiffened at the contact, stopping himself midway through shooting a withering glare at the Thunder God, too. He cleared his throat, the coughing fit finally subsiding, lifting his chin as he responded tightly, "It would appear so."

"Well, we will most definitely fix that!" Thor beamed, pushing Loki's goblet back in front of him. "Drink! We shall dine into the evening, celebrating all good things coming together once more!"

Jane, who had been doing her damnedest to avoid making eye contact with Loki, took another swig of her own mead. She had a feeling that this was going be a very long, very awkward dinner. She glanced at the door longingly, wondering if she could crawl under the table and get away without hitting anyone on accident. Considering the fact that her head was starting to feel a little fuzzy, she doubted she'd make it very far.

"Don't even think about it," Loki hissed at Jane quietly, making her turn to look at him. He had leaned almost imperceptibly closer to her, eyes narrowing at her suspiciously. "You're not going to sneak out of this early and leave me alone with these buffoons."

"You can't force me to stay," Jane whispered back, irritated. She glanced around the table, realizing that everyone seemed to be returning to the lighter mood now. Just how much had everyone had to drink already in order for them to be so calm around the second prince so quickly? Or did Thor's happiness at the matter really have such a large effect? She glared back at Loki, aware that no one was paying much attention to them currently. Thor was speaking with Sif and the Warriors' Three while the other guests of the table listened and laughed at the tales being painted, and Jane took the opportunity to continue addressing Loki. "Why are you even here?"

"Why? Perhaps you have forgotten, but it was you who suggested I come," he replied, keeping his voice lowered so as not to draw attention to them. He lifted his goblet and took another drink, his composure continuing to hold up as his green eyes pierced Jane. "Are you disappointed that I actually did so?"

"No, of course not," Jane growled. "It would just be nice if you weren't being a pompous ass in the process. You're completely ignoring everyone, so I'd say it's hardly different than when you're not here."

"Ah, but I'm not ignoring everyone. We are conversing, are we not? Besides, I don't have very many things to say that are acceptable for a dinner conversation," he stated, glancing down at his fork as he moved something on his plate. He still hadn't eaten anything. "But at least I "showed up", as you put it, am I right? Is that not what you were reproving me of earlier?"

Jane ground her teeth. "You shouldn't be doing this because I mentioned it, or to prove me wrong. You should be here because you want to be."

Loki smirked as he took another drink, before turning his head to fully face her. "Those words don't seem to fit your lips, dear. Are you borrowing them for a reason?"

If it was possible, Jane's eyes narrowed even further at the man. "What is it that you want, Loki?"

"I want a great many things, but very few of them are currently attainable for me," he drawled, and Jane could have sworn that maybe, just maybe his words sounded a little slurred. Then again, she had no idea what his alcohol tolerance was, so there was a good possibility she was just imagining it. She focused on him again as he opened his mouth to speak. "I noticed that you were in the library earlier today."

Jane nodded, brow furrowing a bit at the change in topic. "I was."

"How did you enjoy the books?" he asked, and a flicker of something lit up in his eyes. He didn't even flinch as a servant appeared out of nowhere to fill their cups back up.

"I don't know," Jane muttered, reaching for her goblet again. "I still wasn't able to read them when I got back to my room, so I don't know why you bothered recommending them to me. Was it just to give me false hope?"

"That depends," he smirked. "I assume that you just grabbed them and left without bothering to see what they were about in the library. Perhaps it was so you could continue to avoid me."

Jane flushed a bit, fully blaming the alcohol and not the fact that he'd just called her out. "I admit that I didn't look into the books before I left the room, but I don't see why that matters—and you've got a bigger head than I thought if you think I'd actually go out of my way to avoid you."

"Hm, I don't believe you," he replied, leaning towards her a bit with his eyes narrowed suspiciously. Jane's eyes widened, and she quickly glanced around to see if anyone was noticing the man. Everyone was laughing at something that Thor had apparently said, and he was grinning proudly with a dusting of red on his cheeks. Great, everyone's drunk already . . .

She had to bite back a squeak as her chair suddenly jerked soundlessly, and her eyes immediately shot back to Loki's. His emerald orbs were boring into her and Jane felt her chest tighten. He frowned almost imperceptibly. "Do not look away from me when I'm talking to you."

"Or what?" Jane hissed back, before her eyes widened some as her chair once again moved, although this time it pulled her a little closer to Loki. She swallowed hard, feeling her stomach heat up uncomfortably from the alcohol. He smirked at her challengingly, and she breathed in deeply. "That's not funny, Loki."

"It wasn't meant to be," he stated, his smirk widening. "But you are listening to me now, are you not? Why did you spend all day avoiding me?"

"I wasn't avoiding you," Jane lied, glaring at him.

"You are a horrid liar," he griped. "It's unbecoming of you. Now, why?"

"I wasn't," she repeated insistently. "I was busy helping out everyone, and I decided to grab the books for my room because I wanted some quiet time."

Loki quirked a brow. "Is that so?"

"Yes," she stated sharply. He stared at her for a long moment, and Jane felt a chill run up her spine. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "What?"

"I just find it entertaining that you think you can fool me," he shrugged. "Everyone knows better than to attempt lying to me."

"Did you come here just to make my night more difficult?" Jane snapped, wishing he would back up some. He wasn't directly in her personal space, but his proximity was making her nervous. She ventured a glance at the table again, but still no one paid them any mind. I'm surprised Thor hasn't said more to him, considering he's been wanting him her—

"Now who is the one with the 'big head'?" Loki taunted, jerking her chair again to get her attention. She turned it back on him, shrinking away in her chair a little. She could definitely smell alcohol on his breath now, and she chanced a look at his plate. He still hadn't touched any of his food. "Do you really believe I would come here just to torment you?"

"Yes, actually, I do," Jane huffed. "Plus you haven't eaten anything."

"I'm not hungry."

"That only furthers my point," she jabbed, before placing both of her hands on her chair. She planted her feet on the ground and shoved back, only for Loki to release his grip on it at the last moment, causing her to jerk back harder than she'd anticipated. The legs made a screeching noise on the tile-like floor, and she felt her face burn in embarrassment as everyone stopped their chattering to look at her. Thor's brow furrowed.

"Is everything all right, Jane?"

Jane smiled awkwardly at the man. "Um, yeah, I just . . . I-I'm more tired than I thought I was, and the mead is only furthering it," she said quickly. "I think I'm going to go to bed now, but thank you so much for the feast and invitation. It was wonderful."

Thor nodded, a look of concern on his face. "Would you like one of the servants to escort you to your chambers?"

"No need," Loki stated, getting to his feet and looking down at Thor. Jane glanced at the table, wondering how difficult it would be to grab the fork and stab it in Loki's shoulder. She doubted she could gather enough velocity to aim any higher. The second prince scooted his chair in. "As much fun as this has been, I was just planning to retire to my own bedchamber. I may as well escort Jane to hers, as it is on my way."

"Ah, well, all right then," Thor replied, sounding a little awkward. "I am glad you were able to come, brother. I hope we will see more of you at the feasts to come."

"We shall see," Loki responded almost coldly, before turning to Jane. She scowled at him, turning away and heading towards the door, refusing to acknowledge how unsteady the world seemed to be right now. She could hear Loki's boots tapping on the floor behind her, but she was too busy focusing on making it out the door to care until she'd entered the hallway that led to the dining hall.

Loki stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him without even bothering to look back. He could hear the sound of murmuring, but less than a moment later the room burst back into lively conversation. He sneered a bit before turning to look at Jane—just in time to feel her punch him in the arm. He raised a brow, looking down at the flushed, slightly unfocused woman with confusion and moderate amusement. "What was that for?"

"You did go in there just to torment me!" she snapped, her fist clenched by her side.

"You're still making ridiculous assumptions, but I suppose I will just blame it on the mead," he replied simply, before walking around her. "Now, apparently I'm to walk you to your room. Are you coming or not?"

"I don't need you to walk me anywhere," she barked, storming past him in as straight of a line as she could manage. Damn, why did I have to drink so much?

"That's fine and all, but I still have to walk in that direction to get to my own chambers," he stated, and his suddenly calm demeanor only made Jane angrier with him. She stopped, almost making him run into her. He grunted. "What are you doing?"

"I'll wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"For you to go on ahead. Then you don't have to deal with me, and vice versa."

"You're being needlessly difficult."

"You're one to talk," she retorted, crossing her arms. He walked around her slowly, stopping once he was facing her completely. She stared at his chest, refusing to meet his eyes, and they stood there for a long moment, both silent.

"Someone is going to come along at some point," Loki suddenly said, glancing back at the door, "and then you're going to have to explain what you're doing. Do you really want that?"

"I have nothing to be ashamed of."

"You did practically storm out of a feast with the claim that you were going to bed. What will be said of it if you are located out here with me?"

"Why should I care?" she asked, although the idea of Thor or Sif walking out did make her a little self conscious. It must have shown on her face, because Loki smirked.

"Because you do," he said, turning. "Now come along before we are discovered."

Jane stared after him for a moment before finally huffing, picking up her pace so that she could walk beside him rather than behind. She intended to keep her arms crossed, but found that to be more of a hindrance to her balance than she'd anticipated, and finally let her hands drop to her sides. Loki glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, his smirk still ever present. Jane seethed a little, not impressed with his amusement.

They walked in silence for a while, and Jane focused on the floor in front of her so that she wouldn't trip and fall as they rounded corners and maneuvered hallways. Loki strolled along next to her, his gaze occasionally shifting to look at her discreetly as he mulled over what the little mortal could possibly be thinking right now. She was obviously inebriated, although he would be a liar if he said that the mead hadn't taken a toll on him as well. He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd agreed that the mead was stronger than he had remembered. While he had been attempting to dominate Midgard, he hadn't exactly had time for indulging in alcoholic beverages, so his tolerance had waned some. The fact that he hadn't eaten anything only furthered the effect, but he was glad that he wasn't showing any physical signs of it.

"Did you enjoy venturing outside of the castle?"

Jane stumbled a little at the sudden sound of Loki's voice, and he barely had time to register what he was doing as he reached out and caught her arm so she wouldn't fall. She quickly ripped out of his grip, huffing. "What, are you spying on me now, too?"

"Hardly," he grunted. "I merely saw you from my window earlier this afternoon. Where did you go?"

"We went to some forest," she sighed. "I don't know what it was called, but yes, it was pretty."

"There? Of all the places that they could have taken you in the kingdom, that is where they chose?" he stated, almost as if he were offended. "I assure you that if you found that place to be aesthetically pleasing, you would be shocked at the wonders some of the rest of Asgard has to offer."

"It isn't like it matters," she shrugged, feeling a little bolder in her responses with the alcohol there to assist her. "I won't be here long enough to get to see much more. It's probably for the best, though. I'm starting to miss my home."

"I should imagine. Being cooped up in the castle is hardly what one would call a joyous event."

Jane glanced up at him. "Then why do you stay in here so much? I never really see you out and about, and I doubt it's just because of the people in the halls."

Loki looked down at the woman as though he were assessing her. He sighed after a long moment. "You weren't told, were you?"

Jane frowned. "I wasn't told what?"

"What do you know of my return to Asgard as a prince?"

She stared back ahead of her, thinking for a moment. "I know that you have your standing back, and your magic is restricted."

He hummed thoughtfully. "It doesn't surprise me that that's all you were told. I'm also confined to the walls of the kingdom. I believe that they want me to think it is for my protection, but I'm not so naïve as to fall for such nonsense. They are afraid I will run."

"Would you?" The question was out before Jane could even mull it over. She silently cursed herself, but patiently waited for the answer regardless.

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It would definitely be a consideration, but I haven't given it too much thought considering it's impossible either way."

Jane didn't believe that he hadn't thought about it. She had a feeling it was something he'd probably envisioned more than once, but didn't want to discuss. She sighed, deciding to change the topic. "You never answered me."

"About?"

"About why you recommended those books to me if I couldn't read them."

He smirked secretively. "Take them back to the library. Try to read them there, and then you'll know."

"Wouldn't it be easier to just tell me?"

"That wouldn't be any fun," he scoffed. "Besides, I thought you liked the library. It is why I don't bother to lock it anymore."

Jane's eyes widened and she looked back at him. He appeared as though he'd accidentally said something he shouldn't have, but she ignored it as she pressed on. "You used to lock it behind you?"

"Yes," he stated, keeping his attention focused straight ahead now. "I did. I'd forgotten to the day that you walked in."

"Oh," she murmured, ignoring the clipped tone he was using. "So you just decided not to bother anymore because I went there?"

"Something like that," he replied, turning a corner sharply. Jane followed him, wanting to ask more about it before realizing that she wasn't sure if she really wanted to know the answers to any of the questions popping up in her head. She hummed thoughtfully as they drew nearer to her room, eyeing his profile for a moment. He felt her eyes on him and turned to look at her. "What is it?"

"Why do you do it, Loki?"

He frowned. "I don't follow."

"Why do you jump from one mood to another?" she asked, coming to a halt as she spotted her door a few feet away. She figured that if the alcohol was going to give her some confidence, then she might as well go ahead and use it. "This morning you started out pleasant, but by the end of our conversation you got confrontational and snapped at me. Then, you show up at dinner out of nowhere when you were working so hard to avoid attending, only to be difficult towards me, and now you're back to being almost nice again. I don't understand."

Loki stopped walking, looking down at the woman standing less than a foot away from him. Her face still had a red tint to it, but she didn't appear as unfocused as she had earlier. He assessed her question, debating over how he wanted to answer it. His own inebriation was making the answer come slower to him than he was happy to admit. "I suppose you could say it is merely a trait of mine," he replied thoughtfully. "And I didn't merely attend the feast to be difficult towards you, although it was entertaining."

"Is that so?" she asked, raising a brow at him and crossing her arms. "Then why did you go?"

"Because you were avoiding me, and I knew you would be there," he replied, mirroring her pose just to agitate her. She didn't take the bait.

"I still don't get what the purpose of showing up just because I was there is, even if I was avoiding you—which I'm not saying I was, for the record," she retorted haughtily. "I could have just as easily ignored you the entire time."

He smirked at her, leaning down a bit so he could make better eye contact with her. "First, that is a lie. If you were capable of ignoring me, I have a very distinct feeling that you would have done just that. Instead, you conversed with me the entire time while everyone else ignored us both," he countered, holding out his hand and ticking off his points as he spoke them. "Secondly, I know you were avoiding me, but that doesn't particularly matter, because you're not avoiding me right now."

"Okay, so you did that to make me stop avoiding you. Got it. Why did you stay at the dinner, then?"

He paused thoughtfully, and then shrugged. "Because we were having a discussion, and it's rude to walk out on one."

"I don't know if I would call that a discussion," she affirmed. "Especially considering you had my chair held hostage the entire time, which I wouldn't exactly call polite. I'm still not happy with you for that, by the way. What if someone would have seen you pulling me closer to your seat?"

"What if they had?" he questioned, his smirk widening at her. "They wouldn't have interrupted our conversation, and it was the only way to stop you from getting so distracted by what the others thought."

"I wasn't getting distracted."

"You weren't looking at me," he verified, his expression turning a little more serious. "You kept turning away while I was trying to talk to you."

Jane stared at him, an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach. She had a sneaking suspicion that it didn't have anything to do with the contents of it, and more to do with the man standing in front of her. She held her ground, though, despite her sudden urge to fidget. "That really bothers you, huh?"

He didn't break eye contact with her as he straightened, stepping towards her some. "You have no idea."

Jane had to crane her neck to see him fully now. "Why?"

Loki tilted his head thoughtfully. "Because I know you cared too much about what Thor thought above anyone else's opinion."

She frowned at the statement. She didn't know what she'd expected his answer to be, but that wasn't it. "What does that matter, though?"

"He doesn't deserve to have any leeway on what you think or do," he replied, stepping towards her again. Jane unconsciously stepped back some, only to realize that the wall was almost directly behind her now. She stared up at the Trickster Prince, unsure of why her heart had decided to start beating so heavily. Loki stepped forward once more, putting mere inches between them. "You still feel as though you need his approval when you don't."

Jane wasn't sure what he was alluding to, and the roaring of blood in her ears was making any response a lot more difficult to come by. She swallowed, watching the man carefully and forcing her eyes to remain on his instead of drifting further down his face like they seemed determined to do. "I . . . I don't need his approval. I don't think like that."

"Then why is it that he was the one you kept trying to look at during dinner?" he asked, raising a brow at her. She tried to ignore the way his lowered tone sent a shiver straight through her. What was happening to her?

"Habit?" she tried, her brow furrowing. "I'm not sure. I'd had a lot to drink, and I . . . I, uh . . ."

Loki smirked at her as she faltered during her response, but Jane noted that it almost seemed softer this time. She had no idea how to handle this particular mood that Loki appeared to be in, especially because she wasn't sure if he was drunk or not. She could smell the alcohol on his breath still, but it wasn't unpleasant like it usually was with intoxicated people. She looked at his mouth as he parted his lips to speak, before focusing on his eyes again, silently reprimanding herself.

"Yes, I can tell that you've had quite a bit," he chuckled, reaching out and moving a strand of hair out of Jane's face. Her skin tingled where his fingers lightly feathered across it while moving her hair back, and she felt her face start to burn as his hand returned to his personal space. She bit her lip as her heart did a flip and she backed up until she was pressed against the wall, breathing deeply and releasing an awkward laugh. What the hell was going on? "Yeah, um . . . I think we both did . . ."

She trailed off again as he took another step forward, his eyes darkening a little as he looked down at her. Something in his gaze caused her to be unable to continue rambling, and she felt trapped—but not in a bad way. That was what scared her most about this situation; she wasn't even remotely afraid of him. Her breathing became shallow as she stared up at him, her stomach warming again almost uncomfortably. His eyes had trained themselves on her lips, and she found herself leaning away from the wall and towards the man.

Loki slowly bent forward, his own breathing going light in an almost nervous way, his body moving more of its own accord than he was prepared for. He felt her gaze on him, and was surprised when she moved somewhat closer to him. He leaned down further, now only a few inches away from her face, his thoughts completely focused on what her lips would feel like under his—

"What a strange evening, though!" laughed a woman from around the corner, accompanying the sound of several pairs of shoes colliding with the flooring.

Loki and Jane both snapped out of the moment, practically jumping away from each other as three women walked by the hall they currently occupied. Loki, eyes wide, watched as they continued down their own hallway, thankful that they hadn't needed to turn. He breathed a small sigh of relief as they paid him and Jane no mind, lost in their own little world. He recognized them from the feast, and figured they were probably too inebriated to focus on much more than each other.

He turned back to Jane, who was still flushed as she watched after the women. She looked back at Loki as she felt her gaze on him, swallowing hard. "I-I should be going to bed," she stated quickly, ducking her head some. "Thank you for walking me to my room, but I've got it from here."

Loki nodded to her despite the fact that she was avoiding looking at him now. He cleared his throat as well. "Yes, I should be returning to my bedchamber as well . . . I will see you tomorrow," he stated, running a hand through his hair.

"Sure, uh, see you then . . . Good night," she responded awkwardly, before rapidly making her way to her door a few feet down from them.

"Good night," he repeated, watching her as she offered him an uneasy wave from her room before she disappeared inside. He stood in his spot for a long moment, trying to regain some control of himself before going back to his room, unaware that Jane had backed herself up against her door, holding her head in her hands in shock and confusion.

Both of them, despite being still partially drunk and very confused, had one very similar thought.

What the hell just happened?

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, haha! It was fun to write, if not a bit frustrating at times. I try to keep everyone as in-character as possible, so writing drunk people can be a bit of a challenge, especially when they're not really depicted as drunk in general, haha. Anyway, please read and review, as it keeps my muse alive and my motivation up! Thanks!